Mystery Date
by TheAuthor1996
Summary: John feels that Sherlock needs a bit more social interaction and what better way to force him into it than signing him up for online dating behind his back? - Sherlock soon finds common interest with member 'NerdGirl 1979'
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Online Unaware**

* * *

John was typing on the computer giving secret glances towards Sherlock whom was examining a glass slide on his microscope,

"Hey mate, I was reading something the other day and apparently there's a theory that tall people are most likely to be intelligent" John said simply hearing Sherlock mumble in response,

"Your thoughts?" John pressed,

"Completely preposterous. The mind's intelligence is not defined by height" he said simply and John gave a false curious expression,

"Really? It really got me thinking because you're like... how tall? And you're quite intelligent" John commented,

"I am precisely 1.83 meters tall and thank you for your praise, John" he said not taking his eyes away from the microscope and John gave an amused smirk as he typed the number into the height section of the online dating registration,

"You're welcome, mate and you're probably right... Height definitely doesn't define intelligence" he said more to himself amused.

* * *

It was a week later when John heard a gunshot coming from the living room,

"Three... Two... One" John murmured and Sherlock stormed into his room,

"You deliberately manipulated me into answering personal questions so you could sign me up for a tedious activity such as online dating!" Sherlock yelled and John smirked,

"Yep. Call it an experiment, Sherlock" John replied amused, moving past him and into the living room and sat in front of the laptop,

"I am not happy about this in the slightest, John. And what sort of profile name is _TheManInTheHat_1976_?" Sherlock demanded causing John to chuckle,

"Because _SherlockAssholeHolmes_ was too many characters" he responded,

"This is not funny!" Sherlock yelled and John could only laugh as he stood and patted Sherlock's shoulder,

"Oh it is. You'll thank me one day mate" John said before leaving the flat to go and see Mary and Sherlock growled, sitting at the laptop,

"Goodbye primitive online dating site" Sherlock mumbled, clicking enter causing a notification box to pop up,

 _'You have 1 NEW message in your inbox. Are you sure you wish to DELETE your account?'_ the message displayed giving the options: _Yes_ or _No_ and Sherlock felt curiosity come over him before clicking _No_ and clicked on his inbox, opening the unread message,

 _'Dear TheManInTheHat_1976,_

 _Just thought I'd take a chance and message you. I'm new to the website and you popped up on my recommended matches. I'm still learning how to use it. Thanks to my friend setting up a profile for me without my permission she demanded that I at least try it for a week._

 _Sorry for disturbing you,_

 _NerdGirl_1979'_

* * *

Sherlock felt himself frown realising the similarities to how he and _NerdGirl_1979_ had come to obtain online profiles and the detective looked around as if to make sure no one was watching him before placing his fingers on the keyboard,

 _'Dear NerdGirl_1979,_

 _You needn't fear as you are not disturbing me. I understand your situation completely, If it weren't for my irritating room mate and soon to be former best friend then I would not be here myself. My name's...'_

* * *

Sherlock stopped typing for a moment, perhaps this would be a good opportunity to experiment with the the social interaction that was communication and Sherlock looked back at the computer screen,

 _'My name's William by the way'_ he finished typing before taking a moment before pressing send and felt instant panic having actually given someone his first name,

"What have I done?" he murmured to himself and started hitting buttons in hope that it might cancel the message only for the laptop to give a _bing_ displaying a reply,

 _'Hi William,_

 _Nice to meet you, My name's Molly.',_

came the simple reply and Sherlock gave a half smile, perhaps this wouldn't be so hard after all.

* * *

 **Oh dear what has John got Sherlock into?! review if you want chapter 2!**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Reality VS Technology**

* * *

John walked into the flat with an amused expression,

"Did you get any online admirers?" John asked teasing as he opened the laptop,

"Nope, I deactivated the profile" Sherlock said simply causing John to look at Sherlock unimpressed,

"Oh for god's sake, Mate. You could have at least have given it a try" John said before going and sitting in his chair, picking up the paper and began to read.

* * *

Sherlock simple gave a secret smirk, having successfully fooled the good doctor, It was then that Sherlock picked up his phone, pulling his attention away from his microscope and swiped his finger across the screen allowing a text conversation to display and he began typing,

 _'I apologise for my having to request that we continue out conversing via text, Molly. My room mate would never let me live it down if I had allowed him the knowledge that I had actually tried out the profile. William'_

* * *

It had been half an hour later when John had gone out to get groceries when Sherlock's phone vibrated on the table's surface earning his attention,

 _'No Problem, William. I understand. I can't believe that I had the confidence to actually give you my number. I don't usually trust so easily.',_ The text made Sherlock curious,

 _'What made you trust me?'_ He typed back and saw the three dots signifying that Molly was typing back,

 _'I would say that I simply took a chance but... Something about you just makes it easy for me to talk to you'_

* * *

Molly's response made Sherlock give a half smile, It was nice not having someone think or refer to him as _'Freak',_ When speaking to Molly as 'William' he felt a sense of safety but that feeling of safety became one of irritation when Lestrade texted him,

 _'Body at St Bart's Morgue. Gunshot wound. Need your opinion ASAP'_ The text read causing the detective to roll his eyes as he stood, grabbing his coat before leaving.

* * *

Sherlock was standing in the morgue, impatiently 10 minutes later with Lestrade,

"Where is this idiot pathologist? Is he new?" Sherlock demanded causing Lestrade to rub the back of his neck awkwardly,

"Yes I am new, Mr Holmes but the duration of my hours into this occupation does not define my intelligence" a female voice said causing him to turn and the lady held out a hand to wards him in greeting,

"Miss Hooper, Pleased to meet you" she muttered but the detective didn't accept her hand,

"Sherlock Holmes. You're late" he muttered moving towards the cooling containers and the pathologist rolled her eyes as she retrieved the body from the storage unit.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the detective and the pathologist... _TheManInTheHat_1976_ and _NerdGirl_1979_ had just met face to face for the first time... And they couldn't stand each other!

* * *

 **Anyone else say #AWKWARD?! Just a little clarification. Sherlock's profile pic is of a deerstalker and Molly's profile pic is of her dog, Toby.**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Very Awkward Situation**

* * *

Sherlock was in his mind palace when Mary entered the flat to see John, having finished work,

"There he is Mr Casanova" Mary said teasing and John gave a smirk,

"Why thank you" he said and she smiled awkwardly,

"Sorry, John but I don't mean you" she admitted and this made Sherlock open his eyes with a confused expression,

"Casanova being the famous romancer of Venice. I'm afraid I don't understand your comparison, Mary" Sherlock said and Mary folded her arms amused,

"Oh come on. The dating profile" she said and John just went back to reading his paper,

"Don't bother, Mary. He deactivated it" John said simply and Mary smiled brightly,

"Oh I know he did but that didn't stop him talking to Molly" she teased causing both Sherlock and John's eyes to widen in shock,

"Molly?" John demanded,

"How do you know about Molly?" Sherlock demanded, standing and Mary smiled gently,

"Calm down Sherlock, She's my friend. I'm the one that set up the profile for her. I think it's really cute that you gave her your first name by the way" Mary admitted and John felt himself smile,

"You've been talking to a girl, you dog" he proclaimed with a chuckle.

* * *

Sherlock paced back and forth,

"You haven't told her about me have you?" he asked and Mary shook her head,

"No... I was going to but... Let's just say something changed my mind" Mary admitted causing both the doctor and detective to look at her curiously and Mary sighed,

"Oh this is so awkward... Sherlock, you've already met Molly face to face" Mary admitted causing him to look confused,

"Mary, if you're about to tell me that I have been conversing with you this whole time then I shall not be happy" he warned and Mary looked mortified,

"Oh my god Sherlock, no. I would never do that" she assured before thinking for a moment,

"You and Molly... Well, You never knew her second name and she doesn't know your real name either" she said,

"What's her second name got to do with anything?" Sherlock asked and watched as Mary sighed,

"Sherlock... The pathologist you met at St Bart's... Her name is Molly Hooper" she admitted and Sherlock felt his eyes widen.

* * *

It was two hours later and Sherlock was still ranting as he paced back and forth,

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" the detective demanded earning a firm expression from John,

"Hey, don't take this out on her" he said,

"Was this some sort of plan to make me look a fool? Did you two deliberately plan this?" he demanded and Mary shook her head,

"No, Sherlock. I didn't even know John had set up a profile for you until he told me when he got home and it was only the next day that I found out that Molly had come across your profile and sent you a message" she explained and Sherlock frowned, looking at John who nodded in agreement,

"I usually do not believe in something such as coincidence but your body language indicates that you're telling the truth" he said with a sigh before sitting down and picked up his phone and Mary looked at him gently,

"What are you thinking, Sherlock?" she asked,

"Molly has been conversing with 'William' this whole time but... When she met Sherlock Holmes, he had to go and be an ass to her and now, she despises him" he murmured before sliding his finger across his phone allowing the text conversation to display on the screen and he began texting and Mary stood quickly,

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?" she demanded and the detective sighed,

"I may not be a man of emotion but I am a man of honour and I shall not continue to manipulate her" he said and Mary rolled her eyes,

"Not a man of emotion my arse, Sherlock. You like her and for the love of god, everyone knows you don't break up with a girl over text especially with no explanation" she said firmly,

"I am not 'breaking up' with her. We have simply been conversing with each other" he defended causing Mary to roll her eyes again,

"Oh Please Sherlock, You like the girl. Don't deny it" she said before going silent for a moment before smiling,

"I think I have an idea" she said and John couldn't help but smirk,

"Oh no, she's got her meddling expression on. Run Sherlock, Run for the hills" he teased and Sherlock looked at the phone before pressing his finger on the backspace button allowing his text to erase and he looked at Mary,

"What did you have in mind?" He asked and Mary smiled brightly.

* * *

 **I Just want to thank you all for your kind reviews. I'm sorry about asking for them so much, It has become force of habit since I started writing when I joined but don't worry I always end up posting my updates so I'm sorry if it came across if I was bribing my readers for reviews. I didn't mean to come across that way but I really appreciate you all as you make me a better writer. If you wish to review then do so of your own choice :)**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Second Impressions**

* * *

Molly was typing up a report on her computer when she heard the door to the lab open,

"Hey Bill, You can leave any deliveries on the examination table" she called out gently,

"No deliveries I'm afraid, Miss Hooper" a voice responded causing her to look up and she soon held an expression of disappointment,

"Oh, Mr Holmes. I wasn't aware you were coming in today" she said before going back to typing up her report,

"Nor was I but it came to my attention that I spoke to you with a level of disrespect the other day and... You by far did not deserve it" he said causing Molly to look at him surprised,

"Well then... Thank you" she replied watching him give a half smile,

"I owe you an apology also. I should have spoken to you so rudely... I get a bit defensive sometimes" she admitted and he nodded,

"I understand, you needn't apologise. You only responded in a parallel manner to my own. I hope you will forgive me" he said with a polite nod of his head.

* * *

Outside the lab, John and Mary were listening,

"How's he doing?" John whispered,

"Surprisingly well" Mary replied quietly,

"Define 'surprisingly well'" John pressed,

"Think 'Mr Darcy' surprisingly well" she said and John looked confused causing Mary to roll her eyes,

"Seriously?... We watched _Pride and Prejudice_ only last week" she said quietly, unimpressed before going back to listening to Sherlock and Molly's conversation.

* * *

Sherlock presented Molly with a small business card,

"This is the contact details for my brother" he explained,

"With your assistance in future cases involving myself and Scotland Yard, you shall be compensated for your efforts and assistance" Sherlock informed her causing her to look surprised,

"Thank you, Mr Holmes... You have no idea how much a big relief this means to me" she said with a soft smile and he nodded,

"I can only imagine. Until the next time, Miss Hooper" he bid before taking his leave.

* * *

Mary looked at Sherlock curiously as they left St Bart's,

"Why did you do that Sherlock?" she asked but Sherlock didn't look at her as they waited for a cab,

"Her dog Toby recently broke his leg and her salary can't cover the veterinarian bill so I decided to assist her" he said causing Mary to smile at John gently,

"Oh he's got it bad" she whispered to him gently as they all climbed into the cab.

* * *

Sherlock texted Molly sometime later,

 _'Good Evening, Molly. How is today finding you?'_ he typed and smiled seeing the three dots indicating that she was writing back,

 _'Hi William, Oh I am feeling so much better. Little Toby's had his leg put in a cast and is resting now'_

* * *

Sherlock smiled at her reply before typing back,

 _'I am glad to here that you were able to have his leg fixed'_ he wrote,

 _'It was more thanks to a new work partner of mine, Sherlock Holmes. I've read some bad publicity about him but I certainly don't agree with any of it'_ Molly had wrote back causing Sherlock to smile,

 _'Well he's certainly a lucky man to have your support'_ he responded.

* * *

If Sherlock played his cards right, He could become the perfect match for Molly, so long as 'William' was able to converse with her.

* * *

 **Awwwwwwwwww, Sherlock's adorable when it comes to wanting to become Molly's perfect man :)**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Reading Between The Lines**

* * *

John was quite surprised to discover Sherlock reading a book with an expression of fascination as he entered the flat,

"Good read?" John asked causing the detective to look up with an expression of delight,

"John, good is not even the word. This is the first book I have not considered deleting" Sherlock expressed causing the doctor to look amused,

"That good, huh? What's it called" he asked as he sat down in his chair retrieving his paper,

" _A Knight's Crusade_ By Toby Counting" Sherlock provided,

"It's about an age old mystery in which a young boy from the 21st century discovers he has noble lineage and sets out to retrieve an ancient treasure that was stolen from his family years before" he said causing John to smirk amused,

"Never took you for a fiction reader. What made you read it?" John asked,

"Molly recommended it. She thought I might find it interesting" he replied and John gave a thoughtful expression, putting his paper down and retrieved his phone before typing _Toby Counting_ into the search engine,

"I can see why" he said after a moment,

"Toby Counting is the current best selling novelist for his mystery series _'The Medieval Chronicles'_ " John explained but Sherlock looked up quickly before rushing to his side,

"There's a series?" he demanded quickly and John nodded,

"Yep. He's got loads of positive comments regarding his work and he's been officially named 'The Mystery Author' by the media as no one has ever met him in person" John said causing Sherlock to look thoughtful before shrugging his shoulders,

"Most likely a publicity stunt. He's probably waiting until they release a film of the series before he shows his face" he said and John shook his head,

"No current mention of a film" he said,

"Dammit" Sherlock growled before sitting back down in his chair before going back to his book,

"Sometimes a mind's image is just not enough" he grumbled causing John to roll his eyes amused.

* * *

 _'How are you enjoying 'A Knight's Crusade'?'_ Molly texted causing Sherlock to smile as he typed back,

 _'A great piece of literature if I do say so myself. Mr Counting is a genius'_ he texted back before typing again,

 _'I am considering purchasing the whole series. Have you read the rest of the collection?'_ He inquired and watched as the three dots flashed signalling that she was writing back,

 _'I practically live within that world haha. I'm so glad you enjoyed it'_ she wrote back.

* * *

The next day found Sherlock within the lab at St Bart's analysing some samples for a case when Molly entered to return some Petri dishes,

"Good morning, Mr Holmes" she greeted, putting the equipment away,

"Good day to you, Miss Hooper" he replied going back to his analysing when Molly spotted the book on the table closer to him and picked it up hesitantly,

" _A Knight's crusade_ " she said more to herself making Sherlock look up,

"Yes... A book I am currently reading" he provided and Molly smiled amused,

"Sorry it's just... I recommended this very book to my friend the other day. Small world" she said and Sherlock nodded in agreement as she handed him his book back,

"I enjoy great literature as much as the next man" Sherlock said causing Molly to look thoughtful for a moment and Sherlock looked concerned,

"Is something wrong?" he asked and she shook her head before smiling,

"No sorry. I just thought I forgot to file a report the other day" she said going back to putting equipment away,

"Do you have the time?" she asked and Sherlock retrieved his phone,

"Yes it is precisely 12:15pm" he said but then his phone gave a _bing_ alerting that a text had come through and Sherlock felt his heart sink as he saw Molly's name on the screen and he looked up to see Molly holding up her phone, whilst her face held an expression of hurt,

"How did I not see it before?" she murmured sadly,

"What other man uses the word literature in this day and age?" she said more to herself putting a hand to her forehead and Sherlock took a step towards her,

"Miss Hooper, Allow me to explain..." he tried and she looked at him sadly,

"Where you making fun of me this whole time?" she asked quietly as a tear threatened to escape down her cheek and the detective shook his head quickly,

"No, it was never like that. I simply wished to get to know you better" he tried,

"And you couldn't do that as yourself? You had to do it behind the mask of some made up name?" she demanded, going to leave but he quickly went in front of her, preventing her from leaving,

"No, You don't understand. William is my first name" he explained but Molly looked doubtful,

"This is the truth. You have my word" he told her and Molly rolled her eyes,

"You're word means nothing to me and just the other day your opinion meant everything to me" she said laughing humourlessly as a tear fell down her cheek and Sherlock looked confused,

"My opinion?" he pressed but Molly avoided his gaze as she sniffed sadly not wanting to cry in front of him,

"What do you mean?" he asked and she looked at him,

"It doesn't matter any more... I never want to see you again" she murmured before moving past him and left causing Sherlock to sigh sadly.

* * *

 **Oh dear. Molly has discovered that William and Sherlock are one and the same! Will they work things out?!**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Mystery Of Molly**

* * *

Sherlock was baffled which was a very rare thing indeed,

"I don't understand. She was so upset" he murmured,

"It's a natural reaction, Sherlock. She assumed everything you said was a lie" John said simply but the detective shook his head,

"No, it was more than that. She said my opinion once meant the most to her but... I can't recall her asking for my opinion in any of the times we conversed" he explained and John shrugged,

"The mind of a female. The one thing a man dare not try and understand" he said earning a light smack on the shoulder off Mary,

"Come on, Sherlock. There must be something" Mary pointed out and Sherlock gave an expression of thought before thinking back.

* * *

" _What made you enter this particular profession, Miss Hooper?" he had asked and watched as Molly shrugged gently,_

" _Well, I've always loved helping people and I love a puzzle so I guess I saw this role as a way to provide people with closure" she explained,_

" _Did your parents support you in your decision?" he asked curiously and she nodded,_

" _Oh yes, my dad put in extra hours at the counting house to put me through university" she said with a smile,_

" _Counting house?" he pressed,_

" _Yeah, he worked in a bank but he liked to call it a counting house because of all the numbers" she explained with a giggled._

* * *

Sherlock went to his laptop after coming back to reality,

"Counting house" he murmured earning a confused expression from John,

"What's up mate?" he asked,

"Molly refers to a bank as a counting house just as her father did" the detective explained,

"So?" John pressed, looking at Mary confused, and Sherlock showed them a photo on Molly's blog of her and her beloved dog,

"Her dog, Toby" Sherlock explained,

"Yeah, you're gonna have to be more specific, Sherlock" Mary said causing the detective to sigh in frustration,

"Counting being an important word as it is a beloved memory of her father and Toby being important as he is currently her closest companion. What is the link between those two words?" Sherlock asked and Mary held a look of realisation,

"Toby Counting" she answered with a smile and Sherlock nodded,

"Molly didn't ask for my opinion directly but she did recommend the first book to me... She wanted to know what I thought about her work and after discovering that I and William were one and the same. She thought every word I had said was a lie. Including my positive opinion towards her work" he murmured,

"So Molly Hooper is Toby Counting?" John pressed being still slightly confused but Sherlock was already grabbing his coat and was out the door.

* * *

Molly was typing up a report with a rather sad expression when a rectangular box was placed beside her but she didn't look up but she did stop typing,

"I bought the series" a voice said causing her to close her eyes before she went back to writing,

"You didn't need to do that" she murmured and Sherlock sat in the chair beside her,

"I wanted too" he responded,

"I truly did enjoy your work, Miss Hooper" he assured and Molly looked at him reluctantly,

"I don't know what your talking about" she tried and Sherlock gave a half smile,

"It seems whilst I hid behind the name of William you remain hidden behind the name of Toby Counting but on a much larger scale" he said gently and Molly sighed,

"What do you want, Sherlock?" she asked in a grumble and Sherlock gave a smirk,

"I want to know the ending. There's one last book to come I believe according to Mr Counting's fan page" he said and Molly looked at him firmly,

"You're not funny, Sherlock" she said warningly but Sherlock simply chuckled,

"You are an amazing woman, Molly Hooper" he said causing her to look confused,

"You hide behind an false name not just because you fear that your work is not good enough but because you do not want people to treat you positively just because you are a best selling writer. You also donate a lot of your profits to charity under the name of Toby Counting allowing a man with no face to take the credit whilst you remain anonymous" he said and Molly looked stunned,

"How... How could you possibly know all that?" she asked and Sherlock gave a half smile,

"I didn't but thank you for confirming" he said causing Molly to smile as she smacked his shoulder and watched him chuckle,

"You really were telling the truth?" she asked gently and he nodded,

"Every word I told you was true. I just used my unknown first name to do so" he said guiltily and Molly nodded gently,

"I understand" she said gently before opening a drawer and retrieved a pile of paper secured by a plastic binder and she held it out to him and he looked curious,

"What's this?" he asked and she smiled softly,

"The last book" she explained,

"I finished it last night. I haven't sent it to the publisher yet. Would you proof read it for me?" she asked gently and Sherlock smiled, accepting the binder,

"I would be honoured" he said before standing and Molly smiled gently,

"Sherlock?" she called gently earning his gaze and she smiled awkwardly,

"Would you like to go out for dinner this weekend?" she asked gently and Sherlock gave a smirk,

"On one condition" he said causing Molly to look shocked but amused,

"Condition?" she said with a laugh and Sherlock nodded,

"Yes, I shall happily go out with you if you announce that you are Toby Counting" he said and Molly bit her lip,

"Counter proposal... I'll admit that I am Toby Counting only after the final book has been published and... You join me as my guest to the premiere of the first film?" she asked gently and Sherlock looked stunned,

"There's going to be a film?!" he demanded and she nodded,

"It's been under wraps for ages" she admitted and Sherlock came back, leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek,

"I look forward to dinner this weekend, Miss Hooper" he murmured causing her to blush as he left.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed 'Mystery Date' This story is dedicated to SammyKatz. A wonderful person and an amazing reviewer whom I thank so much for her support regarding my work and I wish her every happiness in life.**

 **Kind Regards,**

 **TheAuthor1996**


End file.
